Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber told legislative leaders Monday that if they don’t approve an Oregon-led plan to replace the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Portland and Vancouver during the February legislative session, he will shelve the $2.8 billion plan.

Known as the Columbia River Crossing, the project went off course last year when Washington lawmakers declined to fund their $450 million portion.

The project was retooled last fall without Washington’s contribution, but for that plan to move forward, officials in Oregon need to sign an agreement with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to allow them to build the bridge and related facilities across the border.

“When the Oregon-led bistate project was proposed, Governor Inslee indicated his willingness to sign such an agreement, but an IGA, in my view, need not be a threshold question before Oregon legislators act,” Kitzhaber wrote. “Instead, an executed IGA should be included as a condition in any Oregon legislation prior to release of Oregon funds.”

A similar tactic was used last year when a bill allocating $450 million in state bonds for the CRC was given "triggers" to prevent the money from being spent unless certain conditions were met.

One major condition was that Washington approve $450 million. Washington lawmakers rejected their end of the deal, and Oregon's bonds expired.

Now, CRC supporters -- chiefly Kitzhaber and House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland -- hope to revive the project and get lawmakers to reauthorize that funding.

But the Oregon-led plan, which forgoes some highway interchanges and relies heavily on tolling and an $850 million federal grant, has drawn strong criticism.

CRC opponents in Washington have threatened to sue if the project moves forward, arguing that Oregon agencies shouldn’t be able to build a bridge in Washington.

Critics have also zeroed in on traffic data from an “investment grade analysis” of the project showing that some 40,000 daily trips could be diverted to the Interstate 205 bridge once tolling began on the I-5 bridge.

Others worry that Oregon would have difficulty tracking down Washington drivers who refuse to pay a $2.50 toll.

Last week, a key backer of the bridge, Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, indicated to a Washington lawmaker that he doesn’t think Oregon will bring the project to a vote.

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